Rail-joint.



M. F. RADOVAN.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, I915.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

W/T/VESSES: I/Vl/E/VTOR M HRTIN F. FiHDovHN,

A TTORA/EVS 1 era MARTIN FRANK RADOVAN, OF MQCARTHY, TERRITORY OF ALASKA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Application filed July 17, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MARTIN FRANK RADOVAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of McCarthy, Territory of Alaska. have invented an Improvement in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a speelfication.

This invention relates to improvements in constructions for joining the meeting ends of rails.

One of the objects of the present invention is to dispense with the use of fish plates, bolts and nuts, by providing a rail chair supported upon a tie and adapted to receive therein the meeting ends of the rails which are effectively secured to the chair and the latter to the tie, in a single operation, by means of spikes.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means, consisting of a minimum number of parts, for joining the meeting ends of the rails, whereby the laying thereof will be greatly facilitated and both time and labor saved.

A further object is to so construct the meeting ends of the rails as to prevent the pounding and clicking, incident to the ordinary construction, of the car .wheels of heavy rolling stock thereover, said meeting ends providing an even continuous surface over which the wheels pass.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions, one of which, for the purpose of illustrating the invention, is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the meeting ends of two rails constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the means for securing the same to a tie. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the meeting end of one of the rails. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the rail chair used in connection with the invention. Fig. 5 illustrates a top plan view of the meeting ends of two rails constructed in accordance with this invention and also rails constructed in the ordinary manner.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters indicate similar parts, the numerals 10 and 11 indicate adjacent ends of two rails, the latter being provided in its ends with a V-shaped notch 12 adapted to receive therein a similarly shaped tongue Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16 191?.

Serial No. 40,451

trated at the right in Fig. 5 has many obj ections, including the inability to prevent pounding of the joint and thereby loosening the fastenings thereof. This pounding is accentuated by the fact that it is necessary in laying the rails to space the same in order to allow for expansion thereof. In the present invention this pounding is obviated by the construction described for it is obvious that, by the provision of the V-shaped joint, the rails may be spaced considerably apart and yet provide an even and continuous surface over which the wheels of the cars may pass.

Each of the rails 10 and 11 at the meeting ends thereof is thickened in its web portions, as indicated at 14, whereby to reinforce the same and provide sufficient space for the formation of openings 15 extending through the base flange of the rail for a purpose which will presently appear. By thickening the rail at 14 the same is prevented from becoming weakened by reason of the openings 15 therein.

A rail chair 16 is used in connection with the invention and is of such a length as to bereadily mounted upon a single tie 17 of ordinary dimensions. The chair 16 is provided with a pair of upstanding lugs 18 similar in shape to the openings 15 in the bottoms of the rails whereby the same may be inserted into the said openings when the rails are laid upon the chair. The openings and lugs are tapered as indicated and the latter are made slightly smaller so as to allow for the expansion and contraction of said rails. The chair 16 is provided upon its longitudinal edges with the flanges 19 for receiving the base of the rail therebetween and thereby preventing lateral move ment thereof, thus obviating the danger of spreading of the rails at the joint. The flanges 19 are provided with oppositely disposed notches 520 for receiving spikes 21 for securing the rails and chair to the tie 17. Owing to the construction of the chair and the relative position of the bases of the meeting ends of the rails therein, it is seen that the rails and chair are secured to the tie and to each other in a single operation. It is preferable that the adjacent ties on each side of the tie 17, which supports the chair, should be a comparatively short distance apart in order to more effectively support the rails at the joint.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the acompanying drawing it will be apparent that the invention provides a rail joint which is simple in construction, thus reducing the cost of manufacture thereof to a minimum, and which is durable and effective in carrying out the purpose for which it is designed.

It will be seen from an inspection of Fig. '5 that should it be desired to replace certain old style rails with a rail embodying this invention this may readily be done by merely squaring off one end of the new rail and placing the same flush against the adjacent end of the old rail.

I claim The combination of a railroad tie and the rails and being provided with notches, fastening means driven into said tie and engaging in said notches for securing said chair and the rail to said tie, and tapering lugs extending from said chair and adapted to be inserted into the openings in the bottoms of said rails, said lugs being of a smaller area than said openings.

MARTIN FRANK RADOVAN. Witnesses GEORGE MAX Es'rninii', FRED H. Morrt'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentsv Washington. D. G." 

